Panthers Go 3-0
Defeat Cleve Hill 25-14
Overcoming penalties and fumbles, Portville upset Cleveland Hill in a non-league Class C clash on a fine Saturday
night for Southern Tier football.
The Panthers used a strong defense and potent offense to gain an important victory over a foe who was ranked
higher than them in the Buffalo News poll last week (#5 and #7 respectively).
Once again, Portville's linemen anchored solid efforts on both sides of the ball, enabling sophomore Joe "Bull"
Holcomb to power his way to 112 yards rushing on 25 tough carries. The PCS aerial attack continued its excellence, as
QB Brian Nitsche completed 13 of 21 passes for 183 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
WR Scott Forrest was on the receiving end of those TDs, and Nitsche and Brandon Emley ran in two others.
The Portville defense held Cleveland Hill to 42 yards passing and intercepted them twice, disallowing the opponents from getting
into any type of rhythm.
Alex Green, Matt "The Rock" Miller, Matt Derx, and their heavy amigos in the trenches outweighed and outplayed
the Hill's big boys, opening up opportunities for the backs and ends to make plays.
The Panthers tried to beat themselves with two fumbles and 9 penalties for 65 yards, but a consistent and
balanced team effort brought another post-game smile to the coaching staff. As one observer commented, "This team is
tough as nails."
Undefeated after three games, this year's team is blessed with a huge line that has depth, an array of fine running
backs, great athletes at the skill positions, and a bunch of players with good attitudes.
There has been a tremendous excitement in the air surrounding this football season, and this game was no exception.
On the surface, it was a classic battle of the 'city boys' versus the 'country boys'. Last year, Portville went up to
Cleve Hill and spoiled their Homecoming, 30-12, so the revenge factor was huge.
Chris Payne added another extra point to his record-setting pace, and the Panthers recovered 2 Golden Eagle fumbles.
It was victory number 60 for Coach Swetland, and the 100th game he has coached since 1992. Incidently,
Cleveland Hill's Denny Mason picked up his 100th victory last week.
